CHAPTER 41: THE FOURTH BROTHER RETURNS

His vision went dark for a moment as the man practically clung to him like a koala, though "koala" wasn’t quite right, since this man was much taller than Rong Xingyu. He clearly didn’t want to crush him, because most of his weight wasn’t really pressing down.

The man lowered his head, his soft hair brushing messily against the side of Rong Xingyu’s neck and shouted excitedly, "Xiaoyu! Did you miss your most, most, most, most handsome fourth brother?!"

Rong Xingyu: "!!!"

F-Fourth brother?

When the man finally let go, Rong Xingyu blinked his eyes and getting a good look at him.

Good grief! Who else could it be but his fourth brother, Rong Zishan!

Rong Xingyu had to tilt his head back slightly to see his brother’s face clearly. Wow, he was tall... easily over one meter ninety.

Like the other two Rong brothers he had met before, Rong Zishan was strikingly handsome.

And since he was a twin, his facial features looked very similar to his third brother, Rong Zhijian, but their temperaments couldn’t be more different.

If Rong Zhijian gave off a cold, restrained air, then Rong Zishan who is dressed in a casual biker style with a head of golden dyed hair and a radiant grin looked like a big energetic golden retriever.

Rong Xingyu was still staring in a daze when Rong Zishan suddenly reached out and grabbed his cheeks.

He tugged playfully at the soft flesh on Rong Xingyu’s face and teased, "What are you staring at? You don’t recognize your fourth brother anymore just because I went abroad for a competition?"

Then Rong Zishan rubbed his chin thoughtfully, pretending to think. "Or maybe I’ve just gotten even more handsome lately?"

Rong Xingyu: "..."

He was completely thrown off by his brother’s overly affectionate behavior.

Wait, something wasn’t right.

This didn’t match what he remembered from the original story!

Wasn’t it supposed to be that when the real young master returned to the Rong family, the original Rong Xingyu was completely rejected by all four brothers?

...But from how close this relationship looked, the original Rong Xingyu and his fourth brother had actually been on very good terms?

When Rong Xingyu died in a car accident in his previous life, he had almost immediately woken up in this world. In that blurry moment, he learned he had somehow entered a novel and quickly went over its plot in his mind.

But now, many details from the book were hazy.

Could it be that the original body and the fourth brother hadn’t yet fallen out at this point in the story? That maybe, later in the plot, Rong Zishan would end up disappointed in him?

That thought made Rong Xingyu’s body tense.

The better the original relationship had been, the more familiar they were with each other.

And he was completely different from the original. It would be easy to notice something was off. What if Rong Zishan realized he wasn’t really his brother?

Sure, he tried to tell himself that something as unbelievable as soul transmigration wasn’t something anyone would realistically consider...

But still, what if? For the first time, panic crept into Rong Xingyu’s chest.

While his mind was spinning, Rong Zishan casually bent down to pick up the backpack that had fallen to the ground, swung it easily over one shoulder, and turned toward the door.

He entered the password, pushed the door open and dragged his huge suitcase inside as if he owned the place.

As he walked, he called over his shoulder, "Why are you standing there spacing out, Xiaoyu? Come on in! Haven’t seen you for a few days and you’re already getting dumber!"

"...Oh."

Rong Xingyu followed him into the house, his steps clumsy, he even tripped slightly on the threshold.

Rong Zishan who is still carrying his brother’s backpack on one shoulder and dragging two massive suitcases, strode straight into the living room of the villa.

He dropped the luggage with a thud, set the backpack down, and threw himself onto the couch while crossing his long legs casually lounging like a king.

Rong Zishan glanced around the living room and nodded in approval.

"Not bad. Looks like our eldest brother isn’t as stingy as I thought."

Rong Xingyu had just poured a glass of water and set it in front of him when Rong Zishan leaned forward and lowering his voice with a grin.

"Xiaoyu, how about letting your brother stay here for a while?"

Rong Xingyu blinked his eyes. "Huh?"

Then he noticed the large suitcases that Rong Zishan had dragged along. Wait...

"One of them’s full of local specialties and gifts I brought back for you," Rong Zishan said with a shrug. "I just got back to the family house today, and guess what? I found out eldest brother actually made you move out! He even changed your old room. I was so pissed I got into an argument with him."

He didn’t say the rest, but Rong Xingyu understood.

Clearly, his fourth brother had stormed out right after that fight and come straight here with luggage in tow.

Rong Xingyu was surprised at first, but then his heart softened a little. He felt oddly touched.

Then Rong Zishan continued, frowning in disgust, "And that guy at home what’s his name again, he saw me and started looking like he was about to cry. His face turned red, acting like I bullied him or something. Ugh, I got goosebumps just looking at him. Let him and the eldest live together if they want. I’m not staying there."

As he spoke, he rubbed his arms like the mere memory made his skin crawl.

Rong Xingyu: "..."

His expression froze for a moment.

That person he mentioned is his real younger brother. Right now, Rong Zishan couldn’t stand him, but later he’d be treating that same person like the most precious thing in the world!

Still, since Rong Xingyu knew the plot and considered himself "in the know," he wisely kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, he nodded his head obediently and said, "Of course you can stay, Fourth Brother. Sit down and rest for a bit. I’ll make dinner."